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Q&A: Adding Locations to Old Photos

I’d like to add map coordinates to old photos I’ve scanned into the computer. Is this possible in iPhoto ’11?

A.

Apple’s iPhoto ’11 software can use location information embedded from smartphone phones and GPS-enabled cameras to automatically pin photos on a map in the program’s Places area. But even if the digital photos were taken with a camera or memory card that lacks GPS capability, you can manually add location information to the files; this goes for images imported from picture CDs or scanned in from old prints as well.

In the iPhoto window, select the picture you want to geotag and click the Info button in the toolbar. When the Information pane for that photo opens, choose the “Assign a Place” option. As you type, iPhoto will suggest names of cities and towns. You can type in specific street addresses or even names of landmarks, like “Golden Gate Bridge” for the program to locate on a map. Once you enter a location, the photo’s place is marked on the map with a red pin.

You need an Internet connection for iPhoto’s Places feature to show locations. If the program still does not offer a list of places to assign your picture, make sure iPhoto is configured properly. On the iPhoto menu, choose Preferences, click the Advanced tab and set the pop-up menu next to “Look Up Places” to Automatically.

Apple has detailed instructions for manually adding location information, setting exact GPS coordinates and fine-tuning placement on the map in iPhoto ’11 at bit.ly/elXSNv. For people using the previous version, Apple has information for iPhoto ’09 here.

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